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Foreign media said that the EU launched a vaccine defense war on the 29th due to a vaccine dispute with the British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, announcing that vaccines produced in the EU from January 30 to the end of March must be approved for export. Officials emphasized that protecting citizens has no choice but to take action.

According to a report from Taiwan’s “Central News Agency” in Brussels on January 29, the Vice President of the European Commission East Brovskis and the EU Commissioner for Health Affairs Kyriakidis jointly held a press conference on the 29th to announce the start of the export of new coronavirus vaccines. Authorization mechanism, the implementation date is from January 30 to March 31.

Eastbrovskys said that protecting the safety of EU citizens is the top priority, and the current challenge of the inability to deliver vaccines leaves the EU no choice but to take action. Kyriakidis said that the European Union has invested funds for vaccine manufacturers in the past year to ensure that when vaccines are authorized, the manufacturers abide by their promises.

According to the report, according to the supplementary instructions issued by the European Union, after implementation, vaccines produced in the European Union must be notified and approved in advance before being exported. The EU emphasizes that this mechanism is not to restrict the export of vaccines, but hopes to obtain complete information through this mechanism to ensure that manufacturers fulfill their delivery commitments.

However, most European countries including Switzerland, Norway and Iceland are not subject to this restriction, except for vaccines that are humanitarian and participate in the "New Coronary Pneumonia Vaccine Implementation Plan" (COVAX).

The EU urgently adopted vaccine export control. The fuse was a serious dispute with AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals over the reduction of vaccine supply in recent weeks. AstraZeneca notified the EU on January 22 that the supply will be reduced by as much as 60 in the first quarter of this year. %, and said it will give priority to the United Kingdom. The EU has paid the advance payment but cannot get the vaccine. In order to force AstraZeneca to assume the responsibility for performance, the EU first publicized its contract with AstraZeneca on the morning of the 29th, approved the AstraZeneca vaccine in the afternoon, and then launched the vaccine defense war. Announced that the export of vaccines requires authorization.

In addition, according to Reuters London/Brussels report on January 29, in the case of a sharp escalation of the European Union's vaccine battle, Brussels has stated that it will trigger the provisions of the "Northern Ireland Protocol" to prevent vaccines from passing through the northern European Union member states of Ireland and the United Kingdom. Open borders between Ireland. Due to strong protests from London, Belfast and Dublin, the European Union issued a statement before midnight that it would ensure that the Northern Ireland Protocol, which aims to keep the border open, is not affected.

Prior to this time, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told European Commission President Von der Lein that he was "seriously concerned", while Irish Prime Minister Michel Martin was talking to Johnson and the head of the European Union to find a solution. Northern Ireland described the move as an act of hostility.

In addition, according to a report by EFE Madrid on January 29, the delay in the delivery of the new coronavirus vaccine and the dispute between the European Union and AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals are frustrating European health authorities and causing them to curb the spread of the virus. The aspect feels powerless. Due to the slow progress in vaccine delivery, vaccination rates in EU countries are no longer as fast as expected. Coupled with the dispute with AstraZeneca, the vaccination work will be further affected.

France has vaccinated more than 1.3 million people with the new crown vaccine and plans to vaccinate another 2.4 million doses in February. However, the French authorities admitted that due to insufficient delivery, the vaccination volume in February will be less than expected.

The Netherlands currently lags behind in the European Union's vaccination efforts, with only 1% of its population receiving the first shot of the vaccine.

More than 1.7 million people in Germany have received the first shot of the vaccine, which accounts for about 2.1% of its population.

The goal announced by German Chancellor Merkel is to provide all citizens with the opportunity to be vaccinated before the end of the summer. Merkel will meet with local officials and pharmaceutical companies next Monday to seek to speed up the vaccinations affected by delivery delays.

Spain has received about 1.7 million doses of vaccine, of which about 1.3 million doses have been vaccinated. The vaccination rate in Spain has dropped from about 60,000 doses per day to 39,000 doses. Many regions of the country are worried that the expected vaccination target will not be achieved due to the delayed delivery of the vaccine.